In the luxury apartment rental arena in the Chicago area, competition is fierce. One forward-thinking player in the market, M&R Development, is setting itself apart and increasing leasing interest by making pioneering use of video wall technology from Planar in its new 73 East Lake building located in the city's trendy Millennium Park area.

Setting a uniquely vibrant tone and identity for the building is a Chicago first: a lobby installation of a Planar Mosaic Architectural Video Wall. Planar Mosaic is a new and dynamic platform with which a real estate entity such as M&R - or any entity for that matter - can differentiate itself, appeal more effectively to its target market, and portray itself as a technological leader.

In the luxury apartment rental arena in the Chicago area, competition is fierce. One forwardthinking player in the market, M&R Development, is setting itself apart and increasing leasing interest by making pioneering use of video wall technology from Planar in its new 73 East Lake building located in the city’s trendy Millennium Park area.

Setting a uniquely vibrant tone and identity for the building is a Chicago first: a lobby installation of a Planar® Mosaic™ Architectural Video Wall. Planar Mosaic is a new and dynamic platform with which a real estate entity such as M&R – or any entity for that matter - can differentiate itself, appeal more effectively to its target market, and portray itself as a technological leader. Planar Mosaic enables this by establishing a new category in the field of digital signage, one that makes use of new display tile shapes and sizes and allows them to be mounted in any position relative to each other, and individually at almost any angle. The unique display wall is also clearly visible from the street, thus helping to draw additional attention to the building.

“73 East Lake is in one of the most desirable areas of Chicago and we are among the world-class developers striving to earn dominant market share here,” says Anthony Rossi, Sr., President of M&R Development and its sister companies. “When we saw Planar Mosaic we knew almost immediately we had to have it. Planar Mosaic delivers competitive advantages like no other marketing tool out there, and we are already seeing it build brand, enhance reputation, and increase business from those who’ve heard about it or have seen it in the lobby or in passing by.”

Video wall is first example of digital art in the Chicago rental market

Planar Mosaic came at the recommendation of Chicago-based systems integrator, TVTI, whose president, David Welles, saw the Planar product’s uniqueness and creative potential. “M&R wanted this building to really stand out, so we knew a traditional digital signage system wouldn’t work. Planar Mosaic had so many leading-edge capabilities going for it we were convinced it was the right solution.”

Welles brought Portland, Oregon-based Animation Dynamics (ADi) on board the project, and in short time, a concept was born that married the innovative Planar Mosaic technology to a highly creative installation that displays Chicago-themed video in a manner not seen before in a luxury rental lobby setting. “ADi saw that Planar Mosaic’s available set of display shapes could make the themed content appear three-dimensional and that it could move across panels that weren’t placed edge to edge, on the same plane or even on the same wall,” he says.

“Our vision, which TVTI and M&R strongly supported, was of a wall as digital art,” says Kate Ertmann, ADi’s President and Executive Producer. “Planar Mosaic provided the flexibility to be fully creative in which displays to use, where to place them and how to make stunning 4K content move through each one and have it match any display size perfectly. We knew that would make anyone stop, look and become so intrigued that they’d want to know more about the building.”

Unique features of Mosaic deliver an unexpected visual experience

The lobby video wall is comprised of 15 Planar Mosaic displays mounted in what appears to be a random pattern that occupies part of one wall and wraps around an inside corner to the wall on the right. ADi and TVTI created the placement of nine 22-in. square tiles (AD22-Salvador™), three 46-in. rectangle tiles (AD46-Pablo™), and three 55-in. rectangle (AD55-Vincent™) tiles; some mounted individually, others in groups, some overlapping, and others at right angles to each other. Planar Mosaic does not require displays to be physically connected to each other; instead, allowing for space between them. “This concept of negative space is a groundbreaking feature of Planar Mosaic. The space is like a bridge that carries content from display to display in an unbroken fashion that is unexpected and just captures your attention,” says Ertmann.

“This concept has given 73 East Lake a reputation and an identity that no other luxury rental building has anywhere in Chicago. Other developers have seen what Planar Mosaic does for us here and are looking into it themselves for their properties. Our advantage is that we have it working for us now and it’s proving to be a difference-maker,” M&R’s Rossi adds.

TVTI’s Welles points to other Planar Mosaic features that set the product apart. “Its ability to handle 4k content is an important one. Planar Mosaic has amazing vividness, color and resolution. They really make the most of the 4k video that we have. When you have 700-nit nit brightness, 1920 x 1080 resolution and the ability to handle 17 million colors, Planar Mosaic gives you a picture that is as real as it would be when viewed through your own eyes.”

Offboard electronics design allows wall to run cooler and quieter

Another difference-maker is Planar Mosaic’s off-board power supply design. This pioneering engineering accomplishment takes power supply modules away from a Planar Mosaic display and allows them to be located in a remote rack room. “It removes weight from a display – which makes for easier handling – and removes heat and noise generating elements. As a result, the video wall runs quieter, displays last longer because they aren’t subject to heat-induced failures, and the customer saves a lot by not having to invest in additional cooling for the lobby space,” Welles says.